Out of breath, flustered, and still a bit shocked, I tried to calm my raging heart down.
He has never been so rough and direct. Don't get me wrong, I think I loved this side of him, but I didn't understand the sudden change, and on top of it all, he claims I am the one who has changed.
His warm body is still flush against my back, his hammering heart matching mine on my back. A light tickling sensation over my collarbone snapped me out of my hazed sex fog, and I smacked it out of reflex, expecting a mosquito or something. Instead, something splattered between my fingers drops splashed against my cheek; taken aback, I lifted my hand up and looked at it. My eyes grew wide, and my hand frantically went back to my shoulder and sticky skin. Blood.
The sound that left my throat was new for me, a strange mixture of fear, shock, and utter disbelief mixed in with the surprised gasp. I began to wiggle my shoulders, trying to get Arcane off my back, still staring at my bloody fingers. My pulse didn't raise, didn't change, but the feeling inside me did. There was no longer that exciting rush of adrenaline; what I felt now was more like fear. Sneaking into my body and mind, and there was no way to hold it back. I tried; no, I don't think I did. It just took over, and the fear slammed into panic mode.
Blood. There was so much blood. It trickled down my fingers and covered my palm. That tickling sensation over my skin, down my shoulder, and towards my chest now felt like thick poison dripping over me. Did he hurt me? Why? Why would he do that?
My head went to places it never had, never should have, but the fear from when I first arrived manifested in my mind. A low voice whispered toxic truths in my head. They are monsters. Killers. Beasts. But I knew he would never hurt me! Yet he did, the voice whispered back. They can't help themselves; they kill for joy. Blood fuels their rage and strength. My entire body stiffened as he moved behind me, and I held my breath, watching his hand reach out and grab my bloody hand. Part of me expected him to freak out, seeing what he did, and that expectation washed over me as a relief.
Instead, that strange rumbling sensation vibrated over my back again. He leaned closer, and I gasped when his warm tongue slid up my neck. Again and again, his warm and wet tongue covered my neck. It took me a couple of slow seconds to realize he was cleaning my neck. Cleaned up the mess he did? My breath became heavier. Clenching my teeth, I grabbed the railing of the ship and pushed as hard as I could back, forcing him to stumble back.
"What did you do to me?"
I straighten up, surprised by my own voice and the deep undertone that followed it. It almost felt like a growl. Looking back down at my hand, my gaze lifted, and I met Arcane´s dark eyes. His relaxed demeanor irked me and spiked the irritation I felt. He looked nothing like he regretted anything, not even like he felt bad about it. Lifting my hand, showing him all the blood, and repeated,
"What did you do to me? What the hell, Arcane!?"
"Calm down, little fury."
"Calm down.. Calm down!? You hurt me! Broke my skin and draw blood! And that is all you can say? Calm down!?"
"I am sorry about the blood, but he did not intend to hurt you."
He had the freaking audacity to smile and take a step closer.
"Then what the fuck did he mean to do? Eat me alive?!"
It felt stupid to say out loud, even more stupid than I felt thinking it. But then again, what else? How can he stand there, smiling? If he bit me, his canine scraped me unintended; he would have said sorry! Excuse it by being too lost in the moment or something!
He busted out laughing.
A short laughter that cut short the moment he laid eyes on me again.
"I am sorry, I didn't mean that. I thought you were joking!"
I kept glaring at him, arching a brow and gesturing to my bloody hand without a word.
"He got carried away; I stopped him. But he broke the skin, and I am sorry for that. Let me seal it for you, and our spit will close it!"
My nose wrinkled in disgust at the mention of his spit that way. I'm not sure why, but it felt wrong in so many ways. So, when he took another step closer, I took one back, leaning back on the railing now pressed against my back.
"Stopped him from what? Tearing my head off?!"
"No, no! Of course not! I told you Igor would never hurt you! "
"Igor!?"
"My bear, Igor. He would never hurt you, neither would I !"
"But he did, you did!"
"No, yes. Okay, I see what you are saying. He wanted to mark you, claim you as his. I stopped him, and since the mark was not done right, it was bleeding. Just please let me close it for you. You are bleeding too much, and Igor is getting hard to control. He can't stand to see you bleed, see you hurt."
"Mark me? Well, he should have thought about that before he made me bleed!"
"Maya... Please "
His voice grew darker and lower, and the seriousness in his tone made me shiver.
"Please, what? Please, what exactly, Arcane!? And don't you think for a second you can threaten me with that dark voice of yours! It will not work! Go! Leave me alone!"
"I can't do that.. Not before you stop bleeding!"
His voice kept steady, still dark and low, and he started stalking towards me with small steps, his now black eyes glued to my neck. Pressing even harder against the railing, I raised my voice,
"Stop! No! I asked you to leave! Now!!"
"Maya.. Please.. Let him close it; I am fighting him as best as I can right now!"
His calm and deep voice cracked every now and then, and a feral growling sound seeped through, sending a wave of goosebumps up my arms. Beast, animal, killer, I don't care what he is! I am not letting him bully me like this! Not allowing myself to become a pushover! I will never accept a situation like the one I found myself in with the Vikings pack ever again! Not even from Arcane! Anger and hurt raged inside me, soon followed by fear and disappointment.
He saved me; he gave me what I needed, what I never knew I needed. Supported me, laughed with me, and listened to me without pity or judgment. Was it all an act? Tears forced up in my eyes, and no matter how hard I blinked, they kept on coming, and my throat threatened to clog on a slimy, thick ball forming down in my chest. Not trusting my own voice anymore, I furiously shook my head when he stepped even closer, raising his hands up in a stupid attempt to show he meant no harm. I don't believe him, and I don't want to believe him!
"Maya, please. It will only take a second, and please let him. I'm struggling to hold him back!"
He pleaded, still with that low and dark tone in his voice, it still something change. He almost begged, but I could not back down. I could not lose ground; it felt like a stand. I had to keep keeping my own dignity. To keep standing. In the back of my mind, the Viking that claimed me as his mate appeared. Images of him yelling, throwing things at me, spitting in my face, and calling me a ruined female.
Tears spilled over, and like a dam that breeched, they kept on coming. Pouring down my cheeks as the perfect display of my own body deceived me. Doing my best to pretend they were not there, I kept glaring at Arcane and wishing I could fucking growl at him! So loud he pissed his pants and fell to his knees, begging for mercy!
"I don't want his mark, your mark, or whatever it is! Go away!"
I quacked, heaving for air between the words and struggling to keep my voice from breaking. The struggle did nothing for me, and it broke again and again. He reacted so fast that I didn't even have time to scream. Jumping forward, he had me in his arms in one leap. Dark eyes with pitch-black pupils stared down at me, and like a cursed mirror, I saw myself reflected in them. The roar he let out when he jumped made me freeze.
Anger: I sensed so much anger from him I struggled to breathe. The air around us turned thick and hostile, and I realized I had pushed it too far. No matter what I said, it was too much, and now I'm sure he will kill me. Tears me to pieces and lets his claws and canines rip my flesh. My mouth tightened, and I clenched my eyes shut, well aware there was nothing I could do if that were what he decided.
Instead, his warm tongue slid up my neck. Over and over again. My hands were kept together in front of me; with only one of his hands, he was able to hold them both. I couldn't help myself, could no longer control my emotions or reactions, and didn't even try to hold back the sobbing. Tears kept on streaming, I sobbed, and my knees began to shake. Threatening to let me fall. But I didn't care. My stomach turned again and again, that familiar feeling letting me know I was not okay. I am not good.
"Shush, shush. Do not cry, little mate."
It felt like his voice rumbled inside my head, only existing in my mind, but I didn't open my eyes,
"Mate can't be hurt. Mate, you can't be sad. Igor will protect you, heal you, and keep our cubs safe. Igor, do not accept your rejection!"